1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to amusement games and devices such as found in amusement parks and arcades in which one or more players apply or attempt to sharpen their skills and in return receive reward games or prizes from arcade game machines. More particularly the invention pertains to a coin or token bowling device in which the operator aims a pivotal coin or token chute at one of the targets in the form of bowling pins disposed at the other end of a substantially flat playing surface for the purpose of depositing the coin down through the chute on its edge onto the substantially flat playing surface to the bowling pin target to obtain prizes or tokens related to the value of the selected target and the skill of the player in aiming the pivotal chute at the target.
The pivotal coin chute together with a slightly inclined substantially flat playing surface provides sufficient inertia for the coin to strike and activate a particular target and register a prize as long as the chute is properly angularly aligned by the player at a particular target. A coin reject device is provided for improperly sized coins or tokens or for defective coins or tokens that do not have a sufficiently cylindrical uniform edge such as would impede its progress to the token target. The amusement game of the invention further includes a computer program, associated microprocessor and electronics for activating an LED light display and speaker for providing visual and audible means for signalling a successful strike of coins or tokens properly directed at bowling pin targets. The amusement game of the invention further includes a sweeper arm, computer program and associated electronics and electrical motor for activating the sweeper arm for removing fallen or obstacle coins or tokens which may have fallen due to being improperly aimed at the sides of the enclosed substantially flat playing surface or resulting from jarring of the amusement device to change direction of the rolling coin or token or contact with obstacle coins or tokens left in the field of play. The computer program, microprocessor and associated electronics are designed to challenge and increase the level of skill of the player. The amusement game as a result of its solid state design, computer program, pivotal coin chute and sweeper arm activated upon pre-programmed conditions, alone or in combination with player defined conditions provide a challenging game of skill with variation and flexibility limited only by the imagination of the computer programmer.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
The prior art amusement devices include a wide variety of games which depend upon various permutations of skill and chance to win prizes. There are in addition numerous types of bowling games available which depend more on skill than on chance to win prizes or to obtain a successful score. There are in addition electronic games which utilize logic circuits and microcontrollers with associated signal processing circuitry to sense output and keep score which include LED devices. The prior art therefore includes a wide variety of relevant amusement devices which, while piecemeal, bear some similarity to the invention are completely different in operation, object and combination of components. This prior art appears to be located in three different categories, namely the Penny Falls prior art, the bowling games and the electronic type bowling games.
The Penny Falls prior art is described in Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 which employs a pivotal coin chute. Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 describes "Crompton's Cake Walk" and the "Crompton's Penny Falls" prior art devices in which a reciprocating bar reciprocates over the platform surface to advance coins, tokens or prizes or a combination thereof toward a prize collection box for advancing coins, tokens or prizes toward the player. The amusement device of Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 introduces a pivotable coin chute which may be pivoted angularly with respect to the platform to introduce coins to the platform at an angle other than 180 degrees with respect to the platform.
The pivotal coin chute of Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 while designed to introduce the coin onto the platform on the edge does so merely for purposes of convenience since the rolling coin once introduced falls on its side as soon as possible after introduction to the platform in order to have the coins displace and advance previously fallen coins or prizes by the action of the constantly reciprocating bulldozer blade toward the player. Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 furthermore does not utilize a microprocessor, computer program or activate the bulldozer blade upon predetermined conditions in the computer program or provide targets that are connected to the microprocessor and associated display.
As a result Noell, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,536 while relevant to the pivotal coin chute of the invention does not have as an object or purpose the introduction of the coin through a pivotal chute for aiming a rolling coin or token at targets disposed at the other end of a platform to approximate a bowling game of skill. Even though a skill may be employed in the operation of such prior art amusement devices the constant reciprocation of the reciprocating bar in combination with the lack of specific targets or bowling pins together with a microprocessor and computer program does not provide such a challenging game or one that can be modified by changes in the computer program.
Bowling game prior art relevant to the invention includes such bowling games as Vogel, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,288, Karlin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,049, Durant U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,561, Rosenberger U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,719 and Gravelle, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,320. These prior art amusement devices pertain to simulated bowling games utilizing the traditional ten pin triangular bowling ball target format in combination with associated electronic switches and circuits to simulate a bowling ball game. Most of these prior art devices employ either a ball or a flat sliding puck for sliding across the playing board platform to strike and simulate the action of a bowling ball game.
Generally such prior art amusement games using a ball or sliding puck simulate a ten pin bowling game requiring the hitting of all ten pins to result in a strike and do not utilize a single target, computer program or a pivotable coin chute for angularly introducing and maintaining the rolling of the coin on its edge to strike a particular prize pin. Some of these references do employ various forms of circuitry to generate noise stimulation and devices to prevent actuation of the circuitry when the platform is subject to shock o other types of jarring.
The Gravelle, et al. circle bowling game (U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,320) unlike the prior art bowling games employs a rolling disc introduced into a starting gate to roll in an arcuate path to contact an indicator means which measures and governs the path of the rolling disc as it continues on its circular path prior to striking a plurality of pins at the end of the circular path. the circular bowling game of Gravelle, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,320 rely more upon luck than skill since the circular path and the number of pins activated by the disc after passing through the indication means which both governs and indicates the path of the rolling disc thereby removing a certain amount of skill from the game by both measuring and directing the circular path before the rolling disc strikes the standard simulated ten pin arrangement in order to score in the operation of the game. Gravelle, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,320 furthermore does not include a microprocessor and associated computer program, sweeper arm, pivotal inclined coin chute and other components which assist in the operation of the amusement game but also reward and increase the aspects of skill and adaptability inherent in the game.
The prior art electronic type games such as represented by Chang, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,971 and deOrbegoso, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,821 employ micro-controllers and micropocessors. The electronic simulated bowling game as represented by Chang, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,971 employs a digital display, logic circuitry and a computer program but does not provide a game that is in any other way similar to the game of the invention which utilizes a pivotal coin chute and the edge of a rolling coin to strike individual targets having different point values for the release of prizes. Similarly deOrbegoso, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,821 provides a display, logic and micro-controllers but like Chang, et al. 4,369,971 does not provide a simulated bowling game having a pivotable coin chute in which a coin is introduced to the playing platform and rolled on its edge to a particular target having varying point values where the coin chute can be pivotally rotated and aimed at a particular target pin so that the coin travels in a straight line path to a particular target bowling pin for releasing prizes or other tokens.
It will be appreciated the prior art does not include a coin bowling game of skill similar to the invention in which a coin or token is pivotally directed onto a substantially flat platform for rolling across the length of the platform to be aimed by the player at one of a series of target prize pins of his choice having varying degrees of skill and prize levels associated with the pin or target which includes a display, microprocessor and computer program for controlling the game and activation of a sweeper arm for removing or leaving fallen tokens or coins to increase the level of skill or difficultly in attaining prizes or tokens or other types of rewards. It will be further appreciated the control forces required to utilize a rolling coin to strike a particular target in relation to the length of the playing platform and angle of the chute together with the activation of the target pins by the rolling coin requires a sensitive and responsive mechanism to result in the awarding of prizes, tokens, tickets or other types of rewards for playing the game and increasing the level of skill of the player. Accordingly the invention provides a new and improved microprocessor game and associated computer program for fostering a higher degree of skill in obtaining prizes while providing electro-mechanical features for accurately controlling the game and program controlled means for removing fallen coins or tokens from the playing surface at predetermined intervals.